will.i.am said the remake was inspired by tragic events throughout the world including recent attacks in Paris, Belgium, and Turkey; the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling; the deaths of police officers in Dallas; and the Orlando mass shooting.

“Everyone was calling on us,” he told ATTN:. “Like, ‘We need that song again.'”

He hopes to reach millennials the same way the song reached listeners in 2003. “Millennials are powerful,” he explained. “I don’t think they realize just how powerful they are…I hope this song inspires the millennials to go all out, scream from the tallest mountain, care like your freedom depends on it. Pay attention like that is at risk.”